The Switch - 'No Way Out'

Rock Metal Machine
Oct 3
2 min read

It’s time to fire up that home perm mix and get those blonde tints done, because this is bloody brilliant stuff.

If you were to ask people that know me to use one word to describe me it would probably be taciturn. If you asked my missus to expand on that she would probably tell you that I’m a miserable bastard. So, it never ceases to amaze me when the esteemed Fireworks Reviews Editor sends me gloriously happy, outgoing and fun AOR records for my perusal. Do you know what though, he’s not sent me a duff record yet and this slab of eighties heaven is no exception.

The theme of the album is all about an eighties movie called ‘The Switch’, which concerns a band touring the US that get mixed up with mobsters, and in the end they have to “swap guitars for deadly weapons and end up in the ultimate fight for survival.” It’s a crackerjack premise and a really novel idea, but in the end it has to be about the quality of the music. Luckily for The Switch, this album has big songs in spades, but the real ace in the hole is singer Bobby John, a Canadian who has a vocal range to die for. He’s absolutely on fire with this record and he’s ably supported by twins Tom and James Martin and Swedish bass player Dennis “Butabi” Borg.

First single and album opener ‘Danger On The Loose’ will give you an idea of what to expect. A huge ear-worm chorus, soaring vocals, melodic and intricate guitar work which is all held together with a huge back line and awesome synth work. It’s an absolute summer anthem and wouldn’t have been out of place on an early Journey or Night Ranger record; it’s that good. Whether it’s up-tempo rockers like ‘Play The Game’ and ‘Young Gun’, or slower melodic tracks such as ‘Search For Love’ and ‘One Night With You’, this band have hit the jackpot with the sound they have found for this album.

It’s a well worn cliché to describe an album as being one to take you back to the days of driving an open-topped car down Daytona Beach with the radio at full blast, but if there is any recent album to give you that vibe and make you feel young and alive, it’s this one. It’s time to fire up that home perm mix and get those blonde tints done, because this is bloody brilliant stuff.

Reviewer: Graeme Wright

Label: Frontiers

Genre: Rock

Issue Reviewed In: 112

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